Hall:RIKEN has been very responsive to many of the recommendations we have made. Many of the important changes have been substantive. We were also very pleased that RIKEN has internalized the view that it should become more international; not just in the sense of having collaborators from other countries, but in having people from other countries come to RIKEN at all levels.
Noyori:We are already nurturing the careers of talented young [Japanese] scientists, and many of them go to work overseas. We now need to ensure that RIKEN is also a destination for scientists from outside Japan.
In that sense, I think inviting Susumu Tonegawa from MIT to the Director of RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) will have an enormous impact, not only for RIKEN, but for all of Japan. I consider this one of the most important events in my presidency.
Acting on worthy advice
RIKEN clearly takes the RAC’s recommendations seriously. What are the main advantages of receiving this advice?
Noyori:RAC is our asset. Hearing the opinions and suggestions of this most able and experienced group of scientists and scientific administrators contributes to our ability to manage RIKEN as effectively as possible.
Hall:It is to RIKEN’s credit that it invites such an extraordinarily talented group to comment constructively. The fact that this group comes to Japan serves as recognition of what a great institution this is.
Noyori:Importantly, when they return to their own countries, they talk about RIKEN with their colleagues. It is a mechanism bringing us into contact with the whole scientific world.
It is evident that the RAC also takes its charge very seriously.
Hall:I have to say it’s very gratifying. I have been involved in visiting committees where recommendations are just shelved. There are situations in which one can’t just apply a simple fix, walk away and be done with it. We understand that. We encourage persistent attempts to find solutions that will take many years, partly because some of them involve changes in culture, which can be very hard and very slow.
Out of the many recommendations, were any particularly urgent or salient?
Hall:It cannot be done overnight, but one of the most straightforward involves the administration that supports science at RIKEN. We’ve come to realize that RIKEN is restrained by an administrative structure that has not changed as the institute has expanded and gotten more complex. We hope that RIKEN will now begin to apply the most modern management ideas and methodologies to streamline its administration, and improve its efficiency and performance. The ground needs to be prepared for a culture and structure that promotes the kind of creativity and scientific advances that RIKEN has achieved in the past, and to which it continues to aspire. For an institution of this size, good administration is a necessity.
Noyori:Scientists are used to having their work evaluated in many ways, but management, in Japan at least, is never subjected to these same kinds of assessments. We are very proud that our organization will be able to pioneer that reform. The operation of the Japan’s flagship institute is open worldwide and is totally transparent.
Addressing current challenges
Given RIKEN’s current strengths in the physical and life sciences, and its significant large-scale infrastructure facilities, how will it address the critical challenges of food, environment, energy and health?
Noyori:We have many strong individual research programs, so the key will be finding ways of integrating and building linkages between them. But, we will still need to work together with many external stakeholders. Building such networks is very important and already underway. We have many excellent scientists, but individual efforts will not be enough to address the many serious challenges the world now faces. RIKEN must fulfill our responsibility to future generations.
The global economic crisis has struck particularly hard in Japan. How should RIKEN reconcile its new directives and ambitions with inevitable constraints?
Hall:RIKEN must have a rigorous process of priority setting. Downsizing or bringing something to a close is hard to do in an academic—or government—setting because activities tend to develop a constituency. No one is going to admit, “This institution has done its job, but our field is no longer as important as it used to be.” Advisory committees tend to act as boosters for their fields. The president of RIKEN should have the very best [independent] scientific advice. If these tough decisions are not made, it becomes impossible to take advantage of new opportunities and eventually leads to stagnancy.
Noyori:Both administrators and scientists worry about shrinking budgets, but this is not always a bad thing. It provides us with an opportunity to think very carefully about which fields to pursue, and for collaboration and the integration of knowledge. The interdisciplinary and international collaboration is crucial. Only by working together can we generate new fields. We don’t need more clones, we need hybrids.
Hall:I like that analogy. Hard times can force you to evaluate what you’re doing, and ask, “What are we doing that is really important?” That can be a valuable exercise.
RAC members were strongly in favor of making women 25% of all new hires, not only to ensure diversity, but to maintain Japan’s scientific and economic competitiveness. What prompted this bold call?
Hall:This was not an entirely new recommendation, but the sense of urgency was. It is too important an issue to be satisfied with incremental progress. Women scientists represent a very large pool of underutilized talent. Using only half of a population foregoes a great opportunity that is important in competitive situations. Rita Colwell questioned the source of the next generation of scientists given factors such as the shrinking population in Japan, and the decline of interest in science among the young. Importing them is one solution, and such exchange is healthy, but using existing talent is another wonderful solution. Anecdotal evidence indicates that talented Japanese woman scientists cannot get positions here, so they move overseas. The remedy may require not just placing ads for open positions, but actively learning about the existing pool of female scientists.
In the US, a growing number of university presidents are women. RIKEN should make a conscious effort to enlist this talent on evaluation committees, which would also provide a visible role model for young scientists.
Best foot forward
Adapting and evolving to rapid change is challenging. Can you offer encouragement to RIKEN’s scientific and administrative staff about the value of transformation?
Hall:RIKEN has reinvented itself several times and maintained its scientific excellence throughout, so I have great confidence in its ability to continue to adapt and be successful.
Noyori:The most important thing, I think, is for the researchers and the administration to share a common vision for the future of RIKEN.
Hall:Many people get nervous when they hear ‘administrative reform’. These are reforms intended to help people to do their best by empowering people to acquire new skills and grow, which is in RIKEN’s best interest.
Noyori:Our administrative staff has always worked internally to support the scientists, but it is not enough. I’d like to ask them also to serve as an interface with society. That is very important and I would like to see them take a lead in that.
For the full interview and a list of Members of the seventh RIKEN Advisory Council, please click on the link below:
